Chileans protest signing of rebooted TPP

Chilean activists protested in Santiago March 7 against the signing of the new Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, now rebranded as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), or TPP-11. Protesters outside La Moneda Palace, headquarters of the Chilean government, held banners reading "No to modern slavery, no to the TPP-11" and "The TPP and TPP-11 are the same!" Lucía Sepúlveda, leader of the organization Chile Mejor Sin TPP, said the agreement would "deliver full guarantees to foreign investors" at the expense of "rights and national interests."

The CPTPP is the result of negotiations involving 11 countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. President Donald Trump issued an order in January 2017 to withdraw the US from the original 12-member TPP. The revised agreement eliminates provisions the US had pushed for, such as intellectual property protection for pharmaceutical companies.

Signing of the CPTPP in Santiago came the same day Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on aluminum and steel imports. Some are asserting Trump's move violates norms established by NAFTA and the World Trade Organizaiton, but the White House is invoking a "national security exemption" to these rules. (EFE, EFE, Jurist, CFR)